Car Accident Photos
When you’re in a car crash, it can be hard to think clearly or know what to do, particularly if you’re in pain. To help you keep calm and focused, print out Rob Kornfeld’s auto accident checklist and keep it in your glove compartment.
There are some things you need to do immediately after the accident to help protect your legal rights in case you need to pursue a claim against the person that injured you – and one of the most important of these is to snap some photos before anything is moved.
Here are seven tips to get the photos you need to protect your rights:
#1 Don’t hurt yourself to do it
If you are seriously injured, you should not get out of the car and try to take the photos yourself. If there is an uninjured passenger in your car, have them do it. If a relative, friend or co-worker lives or works nearby, call them and have them hustle over to help out. Otherwise, a trustworthy bystander may be your best option. Most people are willing to help out someone who has been hurt. Just ask.
#2 Your phone camera is fine
Most cell phones – even cheap flip phones – come with a camera function or app. Use your phone or have your proxy picture taker use your phone to take the photos. You may have heard that you should keep a disposable camera in your glove box in case of an accident, but you can’t trust film. It goes bad and can be damaged in processing. Digital is better, so trust your phone’s camera.
#3 Take photos before the cars are moved
Once the cars are moved out of the collision position, the photos won’t establish as clearly how the accident happened and a chain of evidence. Photos taken when the vehicles are in their crash positions can reveal who was at fault, explain the injuries that happened to you and make it easier for your attorney to negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf.
#4 Shoot close up and far away
You or your proxy photographer should make sure to shoot photos of your vehicle up close to show the damage on all areas that it’s impacted from up close and farther away. Also shoot up close and far away shots of the others driver(s) vehicles. Be sure to also shoot photos of any part of either car that fell off and into the road. For loose parts on the road, be sure it’s clear which vehicle the part belonged to.
#5 Shoot skid marks and angles
To help with the forensics of the accident, you or your proxy should shoot all skid marks that your vehicle and the other vehicle(s) left as well as any other cars that may have had a near miss with your crash. You also want to shoot the entire crash scene from a distance and from several angles. In the end, you should have close ups, photos from 10 feet away and also from 20 or more feet away.
#6 Get photos of you and passengers
If you are badly injured and you have a proxy taking photos on your behalf, get photos of you in your car before emergency workers remove you and photos of you being removed, also on the gurney and being loaded into the ambulance. While it may be stomach turning, photos of bleeding wounds can be important evidence. If any of your passengers are hurt, get photos of them too.
#7 Shoot external/weather conditions
If the roads are wet or icy, be sure to take photos of the roads. If the crash happened in an intersection, shoot any traffic signals, cross walks or anything that will give context to any conditions that may have contributed to the accident. Even if it’s broad daylight, snap photos of the ambient weather so that the other driver can’t claim their visibility was impaired by twilight or an overcast day.
Also, don’t offer or agree to share your photos with other drivers involved with the accident. However, you should definitely show them to your attorney. Contact Rob Kornfeld today for a free case evaluation about your car accident and injuries.